Thursday, 24 January 2008

I am clear that the role of the Mosque has substantially changed over the past decade. With more 2nd generation youngsters wanting to hear and learn Islam in English. We have consistently believed that the Mosques must wake up this challenge, understanding and speaking English is now an essential part of the Imam role. This also means that Young people should make every effort to understand their mother tongue and work hard to build a wider understanding of both cultures and languages.

This sort of politics breeds division and allows those on the far right to take advantage, the central principal is that the running of the Mosques are an internal matter for the Muslim community, how would readers feel if Muslims were dictating to Christians or Jews how to run their pray sessions or Churches and Synagogues.

Politicians of all parties have a duty to ensure that they do not jump on every bandwagon that passes through, the challenges for the Mosques are very clear and I do believe we are seeing change happening on the ground.

The legacy of this Government is one of the Iraq War, long term detention, discriminating anti terror laws and losing of personal data, it is interesting that Mr. Danczuk is not willing to talk about the wider important issues facing our country.

Monday, 7 January 2008

He warned against the acceptance in this country of Sharia laws based on the Koran and added that amplified calls to prayer from mosques are imposing an Islamic character on surrounding areas.

And he complained of the "multi-faith mish-mash" promoted by the Government and blamed it for undermining the influence of Christianity.

The bishop's attack on aggressive Islamic leaders brought condemnation from prominent Muslim groups. One called for the Church of England to take "serious action" against him.

But Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said the bishop had exposed "a deeply serious problem".

The bishop is one of the most senior clergymen in England, pictured here with the Queen

He added that Government confusion "risks encouraging radicalism and creating home-grown terrorism".

Dr Nazir-Ali, who grew up in Pakistan where he suffered harassment for his own Christian faith, warned of no-go areas in an article in the Sunday Telegraph.He spoke of "a worldwide resurgence of the ideology of Islamic extremism" and added:

"One of the results of this has been to further alienate the young from the nation in which they were growing up and also to turn already separate communities into 'no-go' areas where adherence to this ideology has become a mark of acceptability."

The bishop added: "Those of a different faith or race may find it difficult to live or work there because of hostility to them. In many ways, this is the other side of the coin of far-Right intimidation."

Dr Nazir-Ali said that using amplification for the call to prayer from mosques was an attempt to impose Islam on an area.

This, he said, raised the question of "whether non-Muslims wish to be told the creed of a particular faith five times a day on the loudspeaker.

"This is happening here even though some Muslim-majority communities are trying to reduce noise levels from multiple mosques announcing this call, one after the other, over quite a small geographical area."

The bishop said that the influence-of Christianity was in decline because "the authorities want multi-faith provision", which meant chapels and chaplains in hospitals, prisons and universities were now under threat.

Secularism and the "multi-faith mish-mash" were pushing out Christianity and Government attempts to encourage integration "lack the underpinning of a moral and spiritual vision".

The charges brought an angry response from the Muslim Council of Britain, the Islamic umbrella group which has come back into favour with the Government since Gordon Brown became Prime Minister.

Assistant Secretary-General Inayat Bunglawala said the Government had contributed to the rise of Islamic extremism and compared the Islamic call to prayer with church bells.

'He talks about the rise of "Islamic extremism" but fails to mention how some of the policies of our government and especially that of the United States in the Middle East over several decades now has clearly contributed to this phenomenon.

"He complains of the Islamic call to prayer but presumably is content for all of us to listen to the ringing of church bells. As Jesus himself advised, perhaps the good bishop may want to examine the beam in his own eye before pointing fingers at others."

Mohammed Shafiq, of the Muslim youth group the Ramadhan Foundation, accused Dr Nazir-Ali of attempting to "whip up hatred" against Muslims. The article would "remind people of the road to Nazism", he said.

A spokesman for the Communities and Local Government Department said: "The overwhelming majority of Muslims are peaceful, make a huge contribution to British life and find the views of a small minority of violent extremists completely abhorrent.

"Britain also has a proud tradition of different communities living together side by side."

• The Bishop's attack on Islamic extremism has cemented his place as one of the Church of England's pre-eminent defenders of traditional Christianity.Michael Nazir-Ali's outspokenness has put him in the vanguard of opposition to hard- line Islamism and made him one of the highest-placed enemies of the gay rights movement.

Born into a Roman Catholic family, Michael Nazir-Ali converted to Anglicanism aged 20.

The 58-year-old father of two has set himself against feminism by criticising couples who decline to have children and he is among the clerics who

speak most strongly against attempts to remove signs of Christianity from public life.

Thursday, 3 January 2008

Last Thursday Benazir Bhutto, Former Prime Minister of Pakiistan was killed in a terrorist attack in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. I conducted over 300 interviews across the world about this evil act and my response. Yu can watch the interviews on YouTube www.youtube.com/ramadhanfoundation or read some of the coverage in the written media below.

Mohammed Shafiq, of the Rochdale-based Ramadan foundation, called for the elections to be postponed `as a mark of respect' and added: "This is a tragic day for Pakistan." But he said there was no suggestion the violent demonstrations in Pakistan would be replicated in Greater Manchester.

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I'm a proud British Muslim and live in the United Kingdom. I am regular commentator in the TV, Radio and Print media in relation to Muslim issues, I appear on the media regularly and am providing a positive image of Muslims in the UK, speak up against terrorism and extremism and tackle the main issues facing our nation. You can watch my apperances on www.youtube.com/ramadhanfoundation